Joe M. Smith, Ph.D.

Background

Joe completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology at Eastern Washington University and his PhD in Marine Sciences and Technology at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. He joined the NWFSC in December 2017. His research examines patterns and tests hypotheses regarding the causes and consequences of the distribution, abundance, and movement of aquatic organisms. This includes assessing what factors (e.g., habitat heterogeneity, abiotic gradients, predator-prey dynamics, etc.) influence their ecology through space and time. He also examines how processes vary with scale and subsequently affect the ecology of animals.

Current Research

His current projects include: examining covariates that influence salmon predation by non-native fishes, determining the distribution of salmonids in the ocean using pop-up satellite tags, quantifying juvenile salmon distribution and growth within marsh habitats, and survival and movement of salmon within the Columbia River estuary.